A conventional stethoscope is an acoustical device for auscultation or listening to internal sounds of a body. Conventional acoustical stethoscopes are often used to listen to lung and heart sounds as well as intestinal sounds and blood flow in arteries and veins. A conventional acoustical stethoscope typically has a chest piece which may be a diaphragm or plastic disc, or alternatively a bell or hollow cup. The chest piece is typically attached to air-filled hollow tubing that can form a pair of tubes which each have ear pieces for engagement with each ear of a general practitioner (GP) or other medical specialist. The bell transmits low frequency sounds while the diaphragm transmits higher frequency sounds. Using a conventional acoustical stethoscope, it can be difficult for a medical specialist to hear the internal sounds of a body due to any one or more issues such as low sound levels, a medical specialist's hearing deficiency, and/or ambient or background noise in the room or other location in which the conventional acoustical stethoscope is being used.
Some conventional stethoscopes are electronic and attempt to overcome the low sound levels of conventional acoustical stethoscopes by electronically amplifying body sounds. A conventional electronic stethoscope can be a wireless device, can be a recording device, and can provide noise reduction, signal enhancement, visual output, and audio output. Digitalization of heart sounds from conventional electronic stethoscopes has allowed collected heart sound data to be analysed, allowed graphic representations of cardiologic and pulmonologic sounds to be generated and transmitted for purposes of telemedicine (remote diagnosis) and teaching. Some conventional electronic stethoscopes feature audio output that can be used with an external recording device, such as a laptop or an MP3 recorder. Conventional electronic stethoscopes are typically complicated in structure, which makes manufacturing difficult, makes manufacturing expensive, results in an expensive device, and/or results in a device difficult for a user to learn how to use. Conventional electronic stethoscopes also use tubing. The tubing of conventional acoustical stethoscopes and of conventional electronic stethoscopes require medical specialists to be in close proximity to the subject on which the stethoscope is being used, which raises any one or more issues such as being disadvantageous for the control of infection, placing the medical specialist in harm's way in cases where the subject is unpredictable or dangerous (e.g., in the case of certain animals), and/or making the subject nervous due to close proximity and/or unfamiliarity (e.g., in the case of children who are comfortable only with daily caregivers or in the case of zoo animals who are most comfortable with certain zookeepers).
Listening to a conventional stethoscope requires a user to be highly trained and develop an expertise of detecting subtle sounds and nuances in the audio signal hear through the tubing. Medical professionals are taught the science of auscultation during medical school. Thus, use of conventional stethoscopes to listen to the sounds limits the use and understanding of the use of stethoscopes to medical professionals.
Accordingly, a need exists for improved systems, devices, and methods for capturing and outputting data regarding a bodily characteristic.